Readjustment Ahead for Legebokoff Jurors
Prince George, B.C. – The Cody Legebokoff trial may be over, but the memories from months of grisly testimony will live on in the minds of the trials 14 jurors.
“I think it would be a fairly intense experience and for some people depending on their backgrounds and level of ability to take on tragic information, they might be able to readjust quite quickly but for others it may take some time,” says Ryan James, a clinical counsellor at UNBC.
“When we think of big moments like this in a group experience there might be a need for a debriefing scenario – either on a group basis or an individual basis.”
Moving forward, he says it’s possible the jurors could suffer from secondary traumatic stress.
“I’ve never been on a jury but I can see that happening with traumatic material. It’s just human nature to take things and experience them as if you were there.”
Comments
If jurors do want some sort of counselling, I wonder how they can legally get it. Section 649 of the Criminal Code forbids jurors to disclose anything about their deliberations. This not only prevents research on the functioning of juries (including such important topics as how well they understand the judge’s instructions and follow them), a point which has drawn criticism from the Supreme Court, but it would seem to make it difficult for jurors to obtain counselling. While they can legally disclose some of their reactions to a counsellor, they have to tread very carefully as to what they talk about, which I suspect is not conducive to a good therapeutic result.
doctor / patient privilege. If there is a nexus between the legal and the medical disclosure, then a juror who becomes a patient is protected, I do believe.
They knew the risks; what were they expecting?
Thank you to those who were able to sit through the trial and put that monster away!
Axmani personally know one of the jurors that was on that jury and that person is an emotional wreck right now they saw and heard stuff that most people will never get to see or hear and unlike you they never got the chance to turn off what they didn’t want to hear. Add to the fact that they had to decide a persons fate and it being an international high profile trial and there was pressure galore. I dare you to be composed and sane after that Axman.
You should try thinking before opening your mouth next time
Imorge@I’m not sure that doctor/patient privilege covers this. Strictly speaking, doctor/patient privilege prevents the doctor from disclosing information about the patient (with some exceptions). It does not, as far as I know, authorize the patient to disclose to the doctor information which he or she is not entitled to disclose.
Grief counseling is available to all jurors after a trial such as this and it is all paid for by the provincial government
Iwonder?: I second that. I really appreciate the people who were willing to put themselves through that difficult exercise. I am also very grateful for the verdict they handed down. This fellow started lying to the police officer who pulled him over, from the first question. I don’t think he’s stopped yet. His lies were quite transparent and desperate. I’m glad they had the presence of mind to recognise that.
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